Winter photo ops

Yesterday when I got to the barn, the horses were covered in frost; this is Chickory-maybe she should pose for a mascara commercial! Although it is so cold- it's -33 again this morning- they are all doing well. Their colds are gone and they are not shivering under their blankets. They have plenty of hay to nibble all day because they have a round bale in a feeder, and yesterday I added more straw to their shelter. The mares were on the way to the waterer in this photo; that is the sun just over Sassy's head- very low on the horizon here. This was taken around 10:30 AM. We are supposed to get a break in the weather on Monday, but warmer weather always brings snow here. If it ain't one ting it's another! I'm working the cattle sale Monday and Tuesday, so I'll be happy to have it a little warmer.

Tomorrow's Sunday Stills Challenge is sunrise or sunset, and I took two shots of the same sunset and can't decide which one I like better, so I'm putting this one up today:

and I'll put the other one on my Sunday Silence post tomorrow. These are unedited except for cropping the telephone wires out. I like the colour of the snow in this one. Tomorrow's shot will have more sky. Leave me a comment on tomorrow's post and tell me what you think!

Cookie thieves and ham

We are still in the deep freeze here; today is -33C or -28F. I've got my truck warming up for the next 20 minutes so I can go feed Beamer and the rest of the crew. So yesterday, I must say, I had a couple of little bad dogs;

This is their pleading-for-forgiveness look for eating all the chocolate-covered Italian cookies, and chocolates, and licorice that WERE on the coffee-table. I let them stew in their misery for a couple of hours before I forgave them.

Beamer very kindly posed for me;

Yes, Beamer, you do have a lovely profile!

Look, ma, no more snotty nose!

He did make sure to cough a little for me, but had to really work at it- what a faker! Some horses pretend to be lame to get out of work; Beamer does whatever he can to get sympathy. He is such a ham!

Happy New year......

from the frozen north! Can you spot the Chickadee in this photo?

Beamer's house

The other day it finally warmed up enough to finish closing in one side of Beamer's shelter, so now he has his own snug little house, which he loves. This shelter is placed north/south, so the north wind can't blow in it, and he can see the girls from the opening. And like a good little stallion, he doesn't poop in it, but goes out to his stud pile - less cleaning for me! He is almost over his cold, and I'm looking forward to riding again.

Horse Rescue

Mikey, I'm posting this story for you, because I know that you will appreciate the effort these people put into rescuing these abandoned horses.

Just before Christmas I was following a news story about two horses found in the mountains of B.C. who were trapped in 6 feet of snow. I lost track of the story, so I googled it and here it is:

MCBRIDE, British Columbia

Two frostbitten, emaciated horses were recovering inside a warm barn on Saturday thanks to volunteers who spent the week before Christmas digging the animals out of snow in the mountains of northeastern British Columbia.
Birgit Stutz said Saturday that she and other rescuers cheered when they finally finished digging a half-mile escape route through the snow for the animals. The horses had been abandoned by a hunter and faced almost certain death.
Stutz said the horses eagerly accepted being bridled and seemed to know they were safe as volunteers led them on a seven-hour hike down the mountain in freezing temperatures on Tuesday. She said about 40 or 50 people took part in the rescue over the course of a week.
"It was a big effort," Stutz said in a telephone interview.
She said the horses were discovered on Dec. 15 by two local residents. They were above the tree line and had no shelter at first.
Logan Jeck and a friend stumbled across the horses while out looking for some snowmobiles left behind by tourists who had gotten stuck during a trip to the back country on the side of Mount Renshaw - about 750 miles northeast of Vancouver.
At first, the young men thought the most humane thing to do would be to shoot the emaciated horses to put them out of their misery.
"They went up to assess the situation and to decide whether they were going to shoot them or give them hay. They decided they had enough life in them so that's when it all started," Stutz said.
Over the course of a week, a growing number of residents trudged up the mountain with shovels in hand to dig out an escape pathway through six-foot-deep (two meter-deep) snow. Stutz said the volunteers had to dig a trench just over a half a mile long through the brush along the mountainside.
On Dec. 19, the local chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sent up a couple of officers along with a veterinarian to consider whether the animals could be lifted out by helicopter.
Shawn Eccles, an animal-protection officer, said on a scale of 1 to 9, the horses' health rated about a 2.
The horses are now under a veterinarian's care and are being carefully fed and watered.
"They're doing well," Stutz said.
Stutz said she and her friends spent so much time and effort on the rescue that they really didn't have time to prepare for the holidays. Her family did not even put up a Christmas tree, but no one is complaining.
"This is probably the best Christmas gift a person could have, to be able to get these horses out of there," she said. "Just knowing that we managed to help these poor creatures out there in the cold and get them to safety, it's a better Christmas than you could have otherwise."
In this picture you can see that this horse has no tail hair left; I'm assuming that the other horse ate it in an effort to survive.

This is how they got the hay to them while they spent days digging through 6 feet of snow.

I love a happy ending. Bless these folks for their efforts! And shame on the person who abandoned these horses.

Sunday Silence

Joyous Christmas to all!

For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.

Christmas Eve Sunrise

Merry Christmas to all!

Winter Wonderland (I wonder when it'll warm up!)

The cold weather continues here, and the horses are still fighting their colds. Chickory was not getting over her cough, so I decided that she needed to be blanketed. However, I couldn't find a blanket to fit her, so I bought Peppy a new blanket and gave her the old one. The new blanket is too long for Peppy but it fits well in the chest and shoulders; and I couldn't get him to lift his head out of the bucket for a picture!

Chickory was pretty good about letting me put a blanket on for the first time and even let me crawl around underneath her to adjust straps. She has decided that I am to be trusted after all! She is turning into a little sweetheart. Peppy on the other hand, is starting to be a bit of a brat, and has required a reminder or two about manners; I think he's jealous of Chickory. Oh well, he is getting brain surgery in a couple of months. For those of you not famliar with the term, it means that he is going to be gelded.
Tomorrow I will be making our "Orphan's Christmas dinner"- for our friends who don't have children or other family to spend Christmas with. Then we travel to Edmonton on Christmas day, and Calgary on boxing day, so I will take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. Time permitting, I'll do a post on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas!

A Christmas story

From my email inbox:

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.
It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.
After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what..
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.
After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight.
Sure, I'd been by, but so what?Yeah," I said, "Why?"
"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.
"What's in the little sack?" I asked.
Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."
We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?"
"Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?"
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp."We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it.
She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.
"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up."
I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.
My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before, filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."
In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.
Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.
Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.
At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.
Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."
Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."
I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children.
For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

Sunday Silence

More cold and more colds

It's still hanging in around -30 here, sounds like it will be until Christmas Day. Beamer came down with the cold too, and he is the most pathetic creature when he's not feeling well; he made sure to cough as if he was dying, and gave me the most woe-is-me look he could muster up, so I put him in the box stall - instantly he perked up; he loves being in a stall and being pampered, in true guy-fashion! He rested his head on the stall door (the same one that's in the header picture) and closed his eyes in sheer bliss. But as soon as the girls came in sight, he was all business, making sure they knew he was there! So I'm putting him in at night and out during the day til he's feeling better.
All my Christmas shopping is done, all I have left to do is make some shortbread cookies and clean the house for our dinner Christmas Eve. And try to stay warm! I sure do miss wood heat; there is a fireplace in this house but we can't use it because the chimney isn't safe. So I light lots of candles instead.
Stay warm, everyone!

Bedding, horse style

I hauled some straw in for bedding the run-in shelters, and there were some happy horses! Of course they had to pick through it for any oats that might be there. They do all hang out there together and I hope there is enough bedding to keep them all cozy at night. It's expected to remain cold here over the weekend. As you can see Chickory is maintaining her body heat under her thick fuzzy fur- the snow is not melting on her back. The others are going to have to remain blanketed for a while.

My day at work

Yesterday started off cold at work; and there is beauty even in such weather. Sunrise and cowbreath, and the warmth of the sun melting the snow on their backs:


I felt sorry for the skinny old cows in this pen. But at least it warmed up during the day- I even took my down parka off!

This is a big draft-cross paint gelding. This picture was taken around noon; you can see how low in the sky the sun is around here in the winter.

This was the last sale for the year, and everyone brought food- there was a plethora of Christmas baking and management supplied trays of cheese, veggies, fruit, chicken wings, etc. Not only that, we also got a nice cash Christmas bonus, and we have a Christmas party to go to tomorrow. I like working for this outfit!

-34 Sunrise

Even though it is bitter cold, it still was a beautiful morning. The moon, just past full, was there in all her glory, and the air was still . Peppy seems to be on the mend; he isn't shivering any more and the snotty nose is clearing up.

Poor little guy is all frosted up; his forelock is sticking straight out!

Chickory continues to be easy to catch, and won't eat her grain unless I put garlic powder in it.

I think dun horses are tough; she didn't get as sick as the others and that's good, because I don't have a blanket for her! (Yet!)
Then there's Sassy, keepin an eye on those colts! Yes, I gave her and Coyote Belle some grain and garlic today too.

Sunday Silence-Christmas Lights

Blanket time

Well, Peppy isn't the only one who came down with a cold- Coyote Belle and Sassy also have snotty noses and a cough. Chickory seems OK so far, as does Beamer. So I blanketed everyone except Chickory, because it's so cold here that they can't fight off a cold and stay warm too. Peppy was shivering this morning- no surprise as they aren't acclimatised to this cold; it has been mostly above freezing, then a sudden dip to -26Celcius (that's -15 Farenheit). Beamer was shivering under his blanket, so he got a polar fleece liner under it. They have free choice hay and a heated waterer, so there's not much else to do except let it run it's course. Blah!

Snow!

Today we got about 3 inches of wet snow, so after shoveling my driveway, I went to do chores and found soggy, pathetic creatures waiting for their feed. The colts and mares have a round bale to eat free choice, so for sure they weren't hungry; but you'd never know it by the greeting I get from Peppy! He so looks forward to his morning munchies.Here he is at the waterer, and although he looks really wet, it's only on the surface; he is dry to the skin. I made sure of that, because he has a cold, complete with cough and runny nose. Sure hasn't affected his appetite! I'll be sure to keep a close eye on him. If you look in the bottom right of the picture above you will see some of the creative wiring I did to keep Beamer and Coyote Belle from going nose to nose.

As you can see, it works!

Another blog award!

Thanks, Sherry at Fern Valley Appaloosas for this award! I'm not much for following rules, so I'll pass it forward without 'em to :

KDW at Blackjack Land And Cattle

I always enjoy her stories and pictures, and often wish I lived closer so I could visit!

Back in the Saddle Again

Although we got fresh snow yesterday, today was such a beautiful day that I figured it was time Beamer got some exercise. So, after doing some creative wiring to fix his post-chewing episode, I saddled up for a putt around the pasture. Of course, we had to get our picture taken!

Reba opted to stay with the other horses, but Tess came along with us.

The picture above was Beamer's favourite spot to stand this summer; it's the highest spot where he could look out over the farm and keep an eye on his girls. The white line in the background is the electric fence that keeps the horses away from the barbwire fence and away from the horses who are occasionally pastured across it.The footing was okay, but I kept him to a walk. Man he can walk out! He may not be tall, but he won't get left behind!

There were a couple of nosy girls keeping watch! Sassy really had the wind up her tail, she was ripping around, bucking and kicking and snorting. I rode the back road to the oil well that's in the background in the first picture. We saw some whitetail deer; I was really happy that Tess didn't try to go after them - all I had to do was say heel, and she stayed with me.
We had a great ride!